SATURDAY 15 MARCH 2014

SAT 00:00 Carey Harrison - A Call from the Dead (b01nf2h9)
It's good to talk - or so they say - but not when you're called from beyond the grave...

Stars John Shrapnel as Dr Edward Elmore, Nick Dunning as Stephen Warburton, Christopher Scott as the Reverend Neville Barber and Carolyn Jones as Martha.

Scripted by Carey Harrison

Director: Sally Avens

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1997.


SAT 00:30 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jpxk)
The Red Planet

6. The Mysterious Object

Weeks have passed since the Mars space fleet lost all contact with Earth.

But then Captain Jet Morgan and his crew suddenly receive warnings to turn back, but from whom?

Charles Chilton’s 1954 classic set in 1971.

Jet Morgan …. Andrew Faulds
Lemmy …. David Kossoff
Doc …. Guy Kingsley Poynter
Mitch …. Bruce Beeby
Announcer/Various …. David Jacobs
Various …. Anthony Marriott

Music composed and conducted by Van Phillips.

Producer: Charles Chilton

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in October 1954.


SAT 01:00 Patricia Highsmith - The Cry of the Owl (b01381wz)
Episode 4

Robert has been shot. Could Greg Wyncoop - who has not been seen since they both fought by the river - really have done it? Or is his body lying in the morgue?

Patricia Highsmith's intriguing tale of obsession stars John Sharian as Robert Forester, Adrian Lester as Greg Wyncoop, Briony Glassco as Nickie Jurgen and Peter Marinker as Detective Lippenholtz.

Adapted by Shaun McKenna.

Music composed and performed by David Chilton

Director: Marion Nancarrow

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2002.


SAT 01:30 Russell Thorndike - Doctor Syn (b00dbwts)
Episode 10

The devastated daredevil sets out to take revenge on his enemies - one by one. Concluded by Rufus Sewell.

Christopher Syn, a brilliant young scholar, is a Doctor of Divinity at Oxford, but his eventual decision to throw away the Bible for the sword in a mad quest for vengeance will influence the rest of his life.

Russell Thorndike's 18th Century, Kent-based adventure features pirates, smuggling, highwaymen, duels, wicked squires and beautiful Spanish ladies. Based on the first two novels (published 1935 and 1936) in the seven-title sequence, 'Doctor Syn on the High Seas' and 'Doctor Syn Returns'. Abridged by Doreen Estall.

Writer Russell Thorndike (1885-1972) is less well-known than his sister, the actress Dame Sybil Thorndike, but his Doctor Syn novels hold a special place in the affection of lovers of atmospheric, swashbuckling storytelling everywhere. His novels have been filmed with actors as diverse as George Arliss, Peter Cushing and Patrick McGoohan in the role of Syn, and the Kent village of Dymchurch holds an official 'Day of Syn' every other year, to commemorate a home-grown literary folk hero.

Producer: Lawrence Jackson

Made for BBC Radio 7 by BBC Northern Ireland

First broadcast in 2006.


SAT 02:00 Coming Alive (b007k22v)
Series 1

Hostage to Fortune

A troubled community centre visitor puts ex-convict Terry in danger. Stars Karl Howman and Phyllis Logan. From February 1999.


SAT 02:30 Trevor's World of Sport (b00gng1x)
Series 1

Episode 2

Agent Trevor Heslop must grapple with a world of cut-throats and his son's new friend. Stars Neil Pearson. From August 2004.


SAT 03:00 EF Benson - Secret Lives (b014tcjb)
A Most Treasured Home

A most treasured home is exactly what 25 Durham Square has become for Miss Susan Leg.

But will its treasure turn to dross with the threatened unravelling of the mystery surrounding her secret life?

Pauline Collins stars as Miss Susan Leg.

Conclusion of EF Benson’s 1932 novel dramatised iby Aubrey Woods

Miss Susan Leg ...... Pauline Collins
Margaret Mantrip ...... Margot Boyd
Jimmie Mason ...... Ronald Herdman
Elizabeth Conklin ...... Rachel Gurney
Lady Eva Lowndes ...... Pauline Letts
Mr Cartwright ...... Peter Howell
Bosanquet ...... John Church
Vicar ...... Tim Reynolds
Minnie Mimps ...... Sheila Grant
Head Waiter...... Manning Wilson
Mr Gandish ...... George Parsons
Ellen ...... Jennifer Piercey
Doctor ...... Gordon Reid
Mr Salt ...... Jonathan Tafler
Augustus ...... Andrew Branch
Vicar ...... Tim Reynolds

Narrated by Aubrey Woods.

Music by John Owen Edwards.

Producer: Ian Cotterell

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1987.


SAT 04:00 Kate Mosse - The Mistletoe Bride and Other Haunting Tales (b03xh0ft)
The Revenant

An old man's guilt will haunt him and not release him until the truth is told. Read by Charlotte Emmerson.

"The Mistletoe Bride and other Haunting Tales" is a collection of haunting short stories written, abridged and introduced by Kate Mosse. They are all inspired by legends and folktales from the French and Sussex Countryside and each story explores the relationship between landscape and emotion. Grief and Guilt. Loss and happiness. They are timeless in their telling, ranging from the mythical past to the present day. Kate Mosse has chosen 5 out of the collection that exemplify the redemption experienced by the various grief stricken men and women as they come to terms with their destiny.

Producer: Celia de Wolff
Made for 4 Extra by Pier Productions.


SAT 04:15 Oscar Wilde (b03xh0fw)
The Ballad of Reading Gaol

4 Extra Debut. A 1994 live benefit performance of Oscar Wilde's celebrated poem, read by Ian McKellen, Neil Tennant and Stephen Fry.


SAT 04:45 Oscar Wilde (b007k0l3)
The Happy Prince

From their aerial view, a beautiful statue and a swallow team up to help the poor in the city below. Read by John Moffatt. From December 1997.


SAT 05:00 Beachcomber... By the Way (b008wff3)
Series 3

Episode 5

A new matron at a boys’ school and the case of the false beard.

Richard Ingrams, John Wells, John Sessions, Joan Sims amd Patricia Routledge recreate the world of JB Morton.

With Brian Bowles, Simon Greenall, Henrietta Gooden and featuring June Whitfield.

Running in the Daily Express from 1924 to 1975 – JB Morton’s surreally comic ‘Beachcomber’ column paved the way for a great deal of modern humour – thanks to characters he created between the wars.

Adapted by Michael Barfield with Richard Ingrams.

Announcer: Brian Perkins.

Producer: Harry Thompson

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1994.


SAT 05:30 Smelling of Roses (b00qh0ls)
Series 2

Party Party

Rosie and the team are asked to launch a new political party for people over 60. Sadly, its leader doesn't quite get to launch his manifesto

Prunella Scales stars in the second of four series of Simon Brett's sitcom following the trials and tribulations of Rosie Burns and her event-management company based in Brighton.

With Arabella Weir as Kate, Rebecca Callard as Jo, Duncan Preston as Bob, Annette Badland as Tess, Ben Aris as Sir Geoffrey, Felicity Goodson as Anthea and Simon Trinder as Robert.

Producer: Maria Esposito

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2001.


SAT 06:00 Don Taylor - Daughters of Venice (b008xzs3)
The assignations, the comedy and passions concealed beneath the masks of the 18th century Venetian Carnival - to the accompaniment of Vivaldi's music, written for the brilliant girl musicians of the Orphanage of the Pieta.

But what happens to those brilliant girls when they're grown up and must leave the sheltered world of the Convent and enter the corrupt world of Venice..?

Don Taylor's romantic comedy stars Frances Barber as Contessa, Norman Rodway as Vivaldi, Amanda Root as Siliva, Chris Emmett as Bodger and Bill Wallis as Pazzo.

Violinist: Jean Bourgeois.

Director: Don Taylor

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1993.


SAT 07:30 Looking for Middle England (b00t3tww)
Culture

Ian Hislop is in Lincoln to gauge the Middle English attitude to broadening the mind and heightening the spirit. With AA Gill.


SAT 08:00 Garrison Keillor's Radio Show (b01gvv8k)
Series 7

Episode 28

From Wolf Trap National Park in Virginia, the funny man welcomes The Wailin' Jennys and humourist Roy Blount Jr. From 2011.


SAT 09:00 The Sage of Cricklewood: Alan Coren on 4 Extra (b03xzy4b)
Following Alan Coren's death in 2007, Robert Thomson, then editor of the Times, aptly described him as "a witty and thoughtful tour guide through life."

Writer, editor of Punch, The Listener, columnist and commentator for a number of national newspapers and "The New Yorker", he was regarded by some as the natural successor to SJ Perelman.

A natural raconteur and broadcaster, he enlivened numerous radio and TV programmes, playing head curmudgeon on "The News Quiz" for nearly 30 years, puncturing pomposity and folly – but managing to do so with humanity and warmth.

With the help of his son and daughter, Giles and Victoria, and friends, colleagues and commentators, Christopher Matthew is your guide through some of most memorable moments of Alan Coren's radio career – from a poignant early "Desert Island Discs", to his humorous columns and contributions to "The News Quiz", as well as an edition of the series Christopher made with Alan Coren - "Freedom Pass".

"The Sage of Cricklewood" will also be remembered and celebrated by some of those who worked with him and knew him best.

Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra by Pier Productions.


SAT 12:00 Charlotte Bronte - Shirley (b03xzy4d)
Omnibus

"Something unromantic as a Monday morning." And so begins this passionate love story ...

Charlotte Bronte's tale of romantic entanglements and turbulent times in the Yorkshire of 1811.

Omnibus of the first five of ten parts adapted by Rachel Joyce.

Set against a Yorkshire industrial background, Bronte's powerful second novel is also an impassioned plea for social equality - for workers and women alike. Set during the time of the Luddite unrest, two strands weave together. One, the struggles of workers against mill owners, the other involving the romantic entanglements of the two heroines - Shirley Keelder and Caroline Helstone. It is the friendship of these two women, and the contrast between their situations, that lies at the heart of the piece. Many believe the character of Shirley was written for, and about, Charlotte's sister, Emily, who was dying as Charlotte wrote the novel.

An earthy, vivid and poignant re-telling of one of the lesser-known Bronte classics. The scenes of dangerous social unrest and conflict and love are as relevant today as when the novel was published. It's a story of friendship and love, longing and loss. A rollicking good story with plenty of cliffhangers to keep you hooked to the very end.

Charlotte Bronte .... Lesley Sharp
Shirley .... Jemima Rooper
Caroline .... Joanne Froggatt
Robert Moore .... Joseph Kloska
Louis Moore .... Joel MacCormack
Mrs Pryor .... Christine Kavanagh
Helstone .... Sean Murray
Hortense Moore .... Priyanga Burford
Mr Sympson .... David Seddon

Director: Tracey Neale

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2014.


SAT 13:15 Julie Enfield Investigates (b007jshc)
Murder West One

2. The Art of the Matter

Detective Superintendent Julie Enfield faces a strange theft and cunning scam in one of central London's art galleries, which ultimately leads to murder...

Starring Imelda Staunton.

Atmospheric thriller written by Nick Fisher.

DSI Julie Enfield ...... Imelda Staunton
Dad ...... Geoffrey Matthews
DS Lawrence Evans ...... Ross Livingstone
Johnny "The Tongs" Brickman ...... Ben Crowe
Jack "The Whistle" Stephens ...... Sean Barrett
Andrew Olson...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Kath Dyer ...... Elizabeth Conboy
Auctioneer ...... Harry Myers
Jack "The Whistle" Stephens ...... Sean Barrett
Terry Richards ...... Giles Fagan
Woman Resident ...... Frances Jeater

Director: Richard Wortley

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1999.


SAT 14:00 Dad's Army (b007jq0r)
Series 3

Round and Round Went the Big Wheel

Captain Mainwaring's Home Guard platoon take action when a new High Explosive Attack Device goes haywire.

Adapted for radio from Jimmy Perry and David Croft's TV scripts by Harold Snoad and Michael Knowles.

Captain Mainwaring …. Arthur Lowe
Sergeant Wilson …. John Le Mesurier
Corporal Jones …. Clive Dunn
Private Frazer …. John Laurie
Private Pike …. Ian Lavender
Private Godfrey …. Arnold Ridley
Private Walker …. Larry Martyn
Colonel Pearce …. John Barron
Captain Stewart …. Michael Knowles

Producer: John Dyas

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1976.


SAT 14:30 PG Wodehouse - Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves (b007jqb0)
The Menace of Totleigh Towers

Bertie Wooster is obliged to sort out an amorous mix-up between his friends.

PG Wodehouse romp adapted in six parts by Richard Usborne.

Starring Michael Hordern as Jeeves, Richard Briers as Bertie Wooster, Vivian Pickles as Aunt Dahlia, Ann Davies as Emerald Stoker, Douglas Blackwell as the Reverend Harold Pinker and Jonathan Cecil as Boko Fittleworth.

Producer: David Hatch

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1980.


SAT 15:00 Garrison Keillor's Radio Show (b01gvv8k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


SAT 16:00 Don Taylor - Daughters of Venice (b008xzs3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


SAT 17:30 Listen Against (b00tmt97)
Series 3

Episode 1

A week of radio and TV that never happened in the show that works its way through it all, like a critical tapeworm going through a giant media dog.

* Jeremy Paxman finally breaks and goes rogue,

* Today gets remade as a US sitcom,

* Listeners thoughts on the Food Programme giving recipes for cooking a Flump and spit roasting a Clanger.

With special guests Jenni Murray, Richard Bacon and John Humphrys.

Presented by Alice Arnold and Jon Holmes.

Featuring: James Bachman, Stephen Critchlow, Sarah Hadland and David Schnieder.

Producer: Sam Bryant

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2010.


SAT 18:00 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (b007jm03)
The Primary Phase

Fit The Second

Arthur Dent is - so far - the only survivor from Earth, demolished to make way for a by-pass. He survived thanks to his friend, Ford Prefect (who hails not from Guildford, but somewhere near Betelgeuse), a writer for the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, "the most successful book ever to have come out of the great publishing corporations of Ursa Minor". Both are now at the mercy of the Vogon Captain, and even worse, powerless in the face of his poetry. The only thing which can save them now is an unlikely coincidence or two - and it may lead to an encounter with a certain bipolar automaton.

The global multi-media success story that is "Hitchhiker's" started life as a Radio 4 series in March 1978. The original scripts by the late Douglas Adams then went on to spawn a series of novels, a feature film, at least three stage shows, a TV series, a computer game, a collection of comic books - and various towels.

The Guide helpfully informs us that the most obscene expletive in the Galaxy is "Belgium".

Douglas Adams was born in Cambridge and died in 2001 at the age of 49. He suffered a fatal heart attack after working out at his gym in California.

The answer to the meaning of life, the universe and everything is 42.

With Peter Jones, Simon Jones, Geoffrey McGivern, Mark Wing-Davey and Stephen Moore. Produced by the late Geoffrey Perkins.


SAT 18:30 Fear on 4 (b007jmy3)
Series 2

The Dead Drummer

It's a stormy night on Salisbury Plain, but it's not the wind and rain that terrifies, but the sound of a distant drum.

The Man in Black reveals the terror of two Napoleonic sailors who lose their way...

Fear on 4 brings you more in a series of nerve-tinglers.

Written by David Buck

The Man in Black …. Edward de Souza
The Landlord …. Glyn Houston
Undertaker …. David Buck
Matthew …. Ray Smith
Billy Boy …. Christian Rodska

Director: Martin Jenkins

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1989.


SAT 19:00 The Sage of Cricklewood: Alan Coren on 4 Extra (b03xzy4b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


SAT 22:00 Saturday Night Fry (b008yv5q)
Episode 2

Stephen Fry's surreal, erudite sketch show with humorous banter and sketches.

With Emma Thompson, Jim Broadbent and Robert Bathurst.

Written by Stephen Fry with additional material by Ian Brown and James Hendrie.

Producer: Dan Patterson

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1988.


SAT 22:30 4 at the Store (b00cpvsk)
Series 1

Episode 1

Simon Bligh hosts an evening of stand-up comedy without having to leave your armchair.

Featuring Dominic Holland, Sue Beard and Felix Dexter.

From London's Comedy Store

Producer: Helen Williams

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1998.


SAT 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b03z9g6r)
The best in contemporary comedy. Tonight Arthur Smith is joined by the musical and funny Rachel Parris.


SAT 23:00 28 Acts in 28 Minutes (b01nswqw)
Series 1

Episode 2

John Humphrys gives 28 performers 60 seconds to entertain an audience:

Justin Edwards
Alfie Joey
The Trap
Jo Enright
Dave Johns
Jim Jeffries
Joanna Neary
Danny Robins
Scott Capurro
Roger McGough
Toby Hadoke & John Warburton
Martin Hutton
Gary Le Strange
Debra-Jane Appleby
James Bachman
Steve Hughes.
Dan Antopolski
Sarah Millican
Patrick Monahan
Michael Redmond
Alan Cochrane.
Derek upon Tweed
Jayne Tunnicliffe
Glenn Wool
Kevin Day
Adam Bloom
Richard Herring
Slaughterhouse Live

Producers: Rohan Acharya and Ed Morrish

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2006.


SAT 23:30 Knowing Me, Knowing You (b007jzxg)
Episode 4

A-ha! Alan Partridge welcomes the Duchess of Stranraer, impressionist Steve Thompson and MP Sandra Peaks.

Classic chat from On the Hour's supreme sports reporter and his guests from the world of theatre, politics and emotional tragedy.

With thanks to Alan's chief researcher Steve Coogan.

Assistant researchers:

Patrick Marber
Rebecca Front
Doon Mackichan
David Schneider

Producer: Armando lannucci

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1992.